


The Fate of Your Life

by Galrafloofandlove



Series: Sheith Angst Week 2018 [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Almost Sacrifice, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Crying, Hurt Keith (Voltron), M/M, Sheith Angst Week 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 14:03:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15842805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galrafloofandlove/pseuds/Galrafloofandlove
Summary: Day Five: Sacrifice // AlmostAfter Keith makes a desperate attempt at a sacrifice, the team works as they can while the events weigh down on Shiro.





	The Fate of Your Life

Shiro looked through the windows of the castle ship, noticing the small stars grace his vision every once and awhile. His heavy eyelids weighing down reminded him he hasn't slept for three days, and a yawn managed to escape his mouth as he cuddled the blanket around his shoulders and wished it was Keith with him, cuddling and sitting on the bridge late at night watching the stars and the Galaxy pass them by.  
But Shiro was alone.  
Shiro was alone, with nothing but the sound of his own breathing. Allura had promised to alert Shiro the second Keith had been settled into a cypopod, the second he could see Keith. Just see that Keith was alive.  
Keith’s confidence as he yelled through the comms rang through his head.  
“I'm going in.”  
Then, after a second of debating his words, he said one last thing before muting his comms.  
“Goodbye.”  
The softness of his tone as he said the last part, and then flying straight into the fleet to the main ship.  
Shiro understood why he did it. He wanted to protect the paladins, protect the universe.  
So he went in for the sacrifice.  
And now, Shiro was sitting here, praying to the stars that Keith was okay when the image of the bloodied body he had found in the pilot's seat flashed through his mind again. The way Keith’s lifeless body felt limp in his arms as he ran to the medbay so Allura and Coran could clean him up and get him into a cypopod. He promised himself Keith would be okay as Allura forced him out the door. He promised himself everything would be okay as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. 

The door to the bridge swished open after a little while longer, and the soft sound of Allura’s footsteps filled the previously quiet air.  
“Shiro?” Her accented voice spoke, a hint of uncertainty within her tone.  
Shiro didn't even turn around to face her, too afraid she would judge him for the hot tears running down his cheeks. He heard her footsteps stop moving forward just a few feet behind him.  
“Keith's in the cypopod. You may come and see him now.” She said professionally, like a doctor telling a patient’s loved one that the patient had passed.  
Shiro heard her walk away towards the door, and heard it swish again and close. He took a deep breath before getting up, wiping his cheeks with the blanket and flicking a few more tears away that had been forming in the corner of his eyes, and slowly headed for the medbay. 

~~~~~~

“Shiro, you really need to eat something…” Hunk's voice was full of worry as he approached Shiro, who was sitting next to Keith's cypopod just watching him. The paladins hadn't seen him leave that spot for a quintant, since Keith had been settled in.  
“I'm fine, Hunk. Thank you.” Shiro’s voice was hoarse, and it nearly cracked just by saying five words.  
“You haven't eaten in a day, Shiro. I know you're worried about him…” Hunk trailed off, looking at Keith’s form in the cypopod. “...but you're putting your own health at risk. I got you a sandwich of sorts, if you want-” Shiro heard one of the Castle’s dining plates hit the floor next to him, but he didn't turn around to look. He didn't want Hunk seeing him like this, with his eyes puffy was crying and his cheeks still dripping with tears. “-I’ll leave you alone now. There's a water pouch on the plate too. And there's extra water pouches in the upper cabinet. If you need anything, let us know. Okay?” Hunk sounded so concerned, not just for Keith, but also for Shiro. Nobody liked seeing him like this. Shiro let a “Okay” escape between his lips, and Hunk left him alone soon after.  
Shiro managed to eat the sandwich, although it didn't really taste like the sandwiches back on Earth. Hunk tried his best to replicate Earth food, and sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. This was one of those that didn't really work, but Shiro didn't pay much attention to the taste as he looked at Keith.  
His face wasn't scrunched up in pain like it had been when Shiro found him, it held more peace in his expression, like he was okay past the cuts still littering his body and the burn scar running from his left cheek down his neck. It made Shiro feel at ease, like Keith was dreaming about something happy and he wasn't hurting as much as Shiro was.  
“Keith...Please…” Shiro spoke, hoping that somehow his words would get through to Keith. His voice was still hoarse from crying, and it was merely a whisper. “...Please. Keith, wake up…” He stared up at Keith's form in the cypopod, and tears began to fall again. “I know you were trying to save us...to save the universe...but…” He could barely speak through the tears anymore, but he managed to choke out a final plea. “I need you more than the universe needs you…” 

~~~~~~

“Shiro, you need sleep, buddy.”  
The whole group was gathered in the medbay while Allura and Coran checked on Keith's status. Two quintants had passed and Keith hadn't come out of the cypopod yet.  
“I'm fine, Lance.” Shiro croaked out. There were heavy bags forming under his eyes, and the team started to be just as worried about him as they were about Keith.  
“Shiro, you need to-” Lance started to say, before Pidge cut him off with a glare that read Don't-bother-him. Lance just shrugged in response to her, but didn't continue.  
“His vitals are stable. He should be coming out in another quintant. If not, Coran will wire the cypopod to let him out anyway. Staying in a cypopod that's not set to cyposleep for more than a few quintants is not a good idea.” Allura said, stepping away from the screens her and Coran had been tapping away at.  
“So, we just need to wait?” Hunk questioned.  
Allura nodded. “Exactly Hunk. We need to go speak with the other members of the coalition- Shiro, are you coming?” She asked as the rest of the team headed to the door.  
Shiro shook his head. “I need to be here for him when he wakes up. He's always been there for me. It's time I return the favor.” He wasn't sure if the others could understand him, but he was almost saying it more for himself then the others. 

After the team had left, he looked over to Keith once again.  
“I'm sorry, Keith.” Shiro choked out, barely able to move his lips from lack of sleep, and his vocal chords were strained from crying.  
“I couldn't protect you.”

**Author's Note:**

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